Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

75. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she did support, or play an active role in the decision to include Israel in the creative Europe programme. [32282/22]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Creative Europe Programme is the key Action of the European Union to support the culture and audiovisual sectors.

Regulation (EU) 818/2021, agreed by the European Parliament and the Council, establishing the Creative Europe Programme 2021-2027, includes a provision for participation by certain categories of third countries if they contribute financially to the Programme.

Article 9(1) of the Regulation lists these categories as countries from the European Free Trade Association which are members of the European Economic Area; acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidate countries; European Neighbourhood Policy countries; and other countries. The participation of countries is subject to the individual terms and conditions of the categories concerned.

As Israel is one of ten Southern Neighbourhood countries engaged in a cooperation agreement with the EU under the European Neighbourhood Policy, it is open to Israel to participate in the Creative Europe Programme. In that regard, the European Commission, on behalf of the EU, is currently engaged in negotiations with Israel to participate in the Culture Strand and Creative Europe Desk scheme of the Cross-sectoral strand of the Programme. I do not have a role in this process.